CHAPTER 8

"It's truly something to look down on others." Alastor whispered to himself, "This is a good opportunity to test my current defense of 220 points."

He stretched out his hand, pushed Speed aside, then moved to block Wamon, casually playing with the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand.

"Why make it difficult for a woman? Let us men fight."

Wamon was taken aback for a moment, then he looked up at the sky and laughed wildly:

"Good boy, you're better than that worthless Holdem. But unfortunately, as a lackey of Kaido and Orochi, you will definitely die today!"

As he spoke, Wamon launched another attack.

He knew that being outnumbered, he had to take the initiative.

Hum!

The large blade slashed downward with tremendous force, compressing the air into a tight ball.

Alastor felt a surge of excitement; Wamon was indeed much stronger than Holdem.

He raised his Sandai Kitetsu, pretending to resist.

However, he did not manage to block it; Wamon's blade struck his shoulder directly.

Wamon was surprised by this outcome. He had expected the strange man before him to be at least on the same level as Holdem, but instead, he seemed far inferior.

"Boy, remember in your next life: don't come out to show off if you lack the strength."

Wamon thought he had cleaved Alastor in two with his strike.

But in the next moment, he was stunned.

The blade had indeed struck Alastor's shoulder, but it had only sunk slightly and hadn't even touched the bone.

"Your body... it's so hard!"

Wamon exclaimed in astonishment.

[It is detected that the host is slightly injured, defense +4]

The first attack added four defense points, which was quite good. Alastor felt satisfied with Wamon's performance. He licked his lips and said:

"This isn't your full strength. You still have stronger moves, so come on, let me see them!"

"You, did you eat some special Zoan fruit?"

Wamon set aside his earlier contempt; the opponent's defense was beyond his expectations.

In Wamon's experience, only Zoan-type users possessed such a hard body.

Alastor, meanwhile, focused on continuing to get injured and increasing his defensive power. Regardless of Wamon's thoughts, he casually replied:

"It doesn't matter what you think. Just keep making moves; I hope you can satisfy me."

Wamon's expression darkened. The other party was not very old, but his tone was audacious. He sneered and said:

"Don't think that having the defense and vitality of a Zoan devil fruit means everything will be fine. If all of you Beast Pirates believe that, then you are completely mistaken!"

Wamon raised his sword again, taking a deep breath.

"As you wish! Let me show you the technique that Boss Shutenmaru taught us to counter your animal-type abilities!"

Woo!

Wamon's broadsword suddenly turned black, covered in the haki of Armament.

No, it wasn't just a simple application of Armament haki; the energy enveloping the blade appeared fluid, like liquid armor.

"This is... Internal destruction!"

Alastor was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected one of Shutenmaru's men to demonstrate such skill.

It was strange that Alastor didn't know Wamon's true identity. Wamon was actually the most important confidant of Shutenmaru and the second-in-command of the Atamayama Thieves Brigade.

"Internal destruction is an advanced application of Armament haki that can bypass a zoan devil fruit user defenses and directly attack the inside of a person's body."

With this trump card in play, Wamon wore a confident expression.

"Although my mastery of internal destruction is far inferior to that of Shutenmaru, it's more than enough to deal with you. So prepare to die!"

The large sword, now imbued with Wamon's haki, slashed at Alastor again.

Alastor's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

This time, he didn't even make a token effort to block.

"Arrogance!"

Wamon seethed with rage at the perceived disrespect.

He increased his strength, determined to make the boy realize the consequences of underestimating him.

Slashed!

The blade appeared to miss Alastor, yet his chest opened up with a long gash.

Blood gushed out.

"Is this internal destruction? The flowing haki, like a liquid armor—it's starting to make sense."

Alastor wasn't simply seeking injury; he was also silently observing and comprehending Wamon's internal destruction technique.

After all, he had promised Yamato that he would learn how to untie the shackles on her wrists.

[The host receives moderate damage, defense +10]

Alastor, whose defense power was as high as 224 points, suffered moderate damage, proving that Wamon was indeed extraordinary.

It was clearly exhausting for Wamon to execute this move; he was panting heavily, yet a smile remained on his face.

This move struck the chest, and even an animal ability user would be seriously injured, if not killed outright.

He raised his head, eager to see Alastor seriously injured and in danger.

Unfortunately, he was disappointed.

"This move is quite powerful. I'm also interested in internal destruction. Can you continue?"

Facing Wamon's gaze, Alastor stood motionless, as if the wound on his chest didn't exist, showing a mouthful of white teeth as he grinned.

"Y-you..."

Wamon seemed to be staring at a monster and subconsciously took a few steps back.

Alastor quickly reassured him:

"Don't be afraid; I won't fight back. Just keep making moves."

Wamon's eyes widened, his worldview severely shaken.

What was going on with the guy in front of him?

Why couldn't the sword cut into his body?

Why didn't internal destruction have much effect on him?

Why did he ask Wamon to continue attacking him when he was clearly injured, even promising not to fight back?

What the hell was happening here?

Was he crazy, or was this guy in front of him simply a lunatic?

"Don't be afraid," Alastor continued sincerely. "I just like the feeling of being hurt."

"Crazy! You're completely insane!" Wamon shouted angrily, almost breaking down.

Seeing Wamon so uncooperative, Alastor's expression suddenly turned cold, and the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand emitted a strange purple light.

"You're very disobedient, and the price of disobedience is that your little brothers will die."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Alastor swung his sword at a bandit of the Atamayama Thieves Brigade.

A burst of sword energy shot out, and before the thief could react, it sliced through his body, splitting both man and horse in half.

Blood flowed across the floor.

"Doge!"

The other thieves were caught off guard, unsure of what had just happened. All they knew was that Doge, who had been fighting alongside them just moments ago, had died so suddenly and horrifically.

"Doge! Bastard! You bastard!"

Witnessing the gruesome death of his comrade who had fought alongside him for more than ten years, Wamon's eyes filled with tears.

Boundless rage surged within him, and the fiery flames of fury consumed his reason.

"I want to avenge Doge! I want to kill you!"

Ignoring the fact that he had exhausted most of his bravado, Wamon activated internal destruction again and charged at Alastor with all his might, roaring as he swung:

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

[The host receives moderate damage, defense +10]

[The host receives slight damage, defense +5]

[The host receives slight damage, defense +3]

…

The system's notifications echoed in Alastor's mind.

The corners of his mouth curled up in satisfaction.

That's it, anger, hatred—Wamon.

Wamon hacked at him for a full five minutes, completely exhausting his arrogance and stamina, and significantly depleting his vitality.

The big sword he had once been so proud of broke with a loud crack when he swung it at Alastor once more.

Exhausted, Wamon froze, staring at Alastor in despair.

He finally understood that the enemy he faced this time was not a lunatic at all, but a monster—through and through!

"Beast Pirates, when did a monster like you appear?" Wamon asked, bewildered.

The Sandai Kitetsu left a purple trace in the air, accompanied by Alastor's faint voice:

"I have always been here, but you have never paid attention to me."

The purple traces extended to Wamon's neck.

Puff! Puff! Blood spurted out in copious amounts.

Wamon pressed his neck, his eyes bloodshot, and he slowly fell to the ground.

In his final moments, he regretted why he had robbed the wealthy businessman heading to Flower City, why he had taken this mountain path, and why he hadn't chosen to run away immediately upon meeting this man named Alastor.

However, losers are not qualified to ask why.

With Wamon dead, the remaining members of the Atamayama Thieves Brigade posed no threat and were quickly dispatched by Speed and the others.

"Master Alastor, come and see! There are so many berries!" Billy exclaimed as he uncovered the belongings carried by the bandits.

Alastor stepped forward to take a look and estimated that there were hundreds of millions of Baileys.

This trip was worth it!

He glanced at the system panel again.

[Host: Alastor]

[Age: 20]

[Defense Power: 266]

Alastor felt increasingly that the trip had been worthwhile, so he told Billy:

"You take half of the money, go to the Orochi tribe to exchange for safe food, and then come back to have a banquet with the brothers."

As soon as these words were spoken, Billy, Speed, and all the pirates in Bakura Town cheered loudly.